The process of making ethanol for cars is as follows:
1. Fermentation: The first step in the process of making ethanol for cars is to ferment the plant material. This is done by adding water to the plant matter and then adding a yeast culture which breaks down the sugars in the plant matter into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
2. Distillation: Once the fermentation process is complete, the mixture is distilled to separate the ethanol from the other liquids and solids. This process involves boiling the mixture and then condensing the vapour to form a concentrated ethanol solution.
3. Dehydration: The concentrated ethanol solution is then further dehydrated to remove any remaining water. This is done by passing the ethanol solution through a series of molecular sieves which selectively absorb the water molecules.
4. Denaturing: To ensure that the ethanol produced for cars is not fit for human consumption, a small amount of denaturant is added to the ethanol. This is typically done by adding a gasoline additive to the ethanol solution.
Once these steps are complete, the ethanol is ready to be used as fuel. It can either be used directly in cars and trucks or it can be blended with gasoline to create a fuel mixture. Ethanol can also be used in other applications, such as cooking, cleaning, and as an industrial solvent.
